Piano-case



(NoModel.) K A MODE PIANO OASE.

No. 555,612. Patented Mar. 3, 1896.

1pk/EN T CIR WM,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KNUT ABDON MODE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO-CAS E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,612, dated March 3,1896.

Application filed December 20,1895. Serial No. 572,777. (No model.)

.To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, KNUT ABDON MODE, a subject of the King of Sweden andNorway, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inPianofortes, of which the following is a specification.

This improvement relates to the construction and arrangement of themusic-desk with relation to the lid of the piano, more particularly inconnection with that class of instruments known as grand pianos. It isfrequently the case that the music-desk, which is ordinarily arranged toslide back and forth, is left by the operator or player so far forwardthat when the lid is swung down the lock-strip strikes the desk and marsor otherwise injures it. Itis the object of this invention to obviatethis difficulty by so constructing and connecting the base or slide ofthe music-desk and the lid that the movement of the lid in being swungdown or closed causes the music-desk to slide back out of the way, sothat it cannot possibly be struck by the lid or the lock-strip.

The nature of the invention is fully described below, and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical section of aportion of a grand'piano taken on line w, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof a sufficient portion of a grand piano to illustrate my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the body of the piano, B a porl tion of one of the legs,and C the cover, all

constructed as usual.

D represents the slide or the base of the music-desk. The movement ofthis slide is limited in the ordinary manner by pins E, eX- tending fromthe body of the piano into suitable grooves or recesses in the ends ofsaid slide or base. Secured to the under side of the sliding base D areone or more metallic projections H,which extend horizont. lly rearwardand bend up vertically at H', s0 as to be angle-shaped or hook-shaped,as shown.

K is the lid provided with the ordinary lock-strip K and hinged at L tothe cover C. Secured to the under side of this lid (which is the upperside when the lid is thrown open) next the hinged edge, are one or morearms P, which project, when the lid is thrown back, forward almosthorizontally. These arms P are situated directly over the hooks H H',and when the lid is swung from the opened position shown in full linesin Fig. 1 to the closed position shown in broken lines in the samefigure the engaging-arms P strike the front sides of the portions H ofthe hooks and move them back into the position indicated in broken linesin Fig. l, drawing back necessarily the slide or base D of themusicdesk, so that its front edge is outof the path of the lock-stripand cannot be struck by it or by the lid when the latter is closed.

The number or width of the parts H H P may be varied as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim,'and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a pianoforte, the combination of the sliding base D of themusic-desk, the swinging lid K, and mechanism intermediate with said lidand sliding base whereby the base is engaged and drawn back out of thepath of the lock-strip when the lid is swung down and closed,substantially as described.

2. In a pianoforte, the sliding base D of the music-desk provided withone or more rearwardly-extending hooks H, and the swinging lid Kprovided with one or more engagingarms P adapted to engage said hooksand thereby draw back the music-desk when the lid is swung over in aclosed position, substantially as set forth.

KNUT ABDoN MODEE.

lVitnesses:

HENRY W. WILLTAMs, A. N. BONNEY.

